Best Antivirus for Mac 2024: Top Security Software Compared

Macworld

Macs have traditionally been a far less tempting target for malware writers, leading some to believe that Macs don’t even need antivirus, but their increasing popularity means they’re not immune from viruses and other types of malware – don’t find this out the hard way. While it is typically Windows computers that get news headlines for being attacked by computer viruses, Macs are vulnerable to malware, too. In this collection of Mac antivirus reviews, fully tested by our expert editors, we recommend the best Mac antivirus software to help keep you and your Mac or MacBook safe from whatever rogue software comes your way.

Not everyone is a security expert or knows how to check their Mac for viruses, but you also don’t need to be a security expert to keep your Mac safe. Apple does include some built-in antivirus protection, but a good Mac antivirus product will do it all for you, protecting your Mac from new and known malware, blocking ransomware, protecting older systems from security vulnerabilities caused by outdated software, stopping you from passing on Windows viruses to PC-using friends and colleagues, and so on.

The most difficult decision for you as a Mac user is deciding which of the multiple Mac antivirus programs on the market is going to do the best job of keeping you and your data safe, and which ultimately offers the best value.

Our Best Pick: Intego Mac Internet Security

Our Macworld experts are here to help, and no-one is better placed to guide you on which antivirus to choose for your Mac than the leading authority on Mac products and products built for Mac (the clue is in our name). We thoroughly test all Mac antivirus products from a usability and functionality perspective and use a combination of our own testing data and AV Comparatives/AV-Test lab data to ascertain which is the most reliable and trustworthy security product for your Mac. These are the security products our own editors would (and do) choose for their own machines, so you can place your full trust in our Mac antivirus recommendations.

Our top pick right now is Intego Mac Internet Security. But depending on the type and number of devices you want to protect, and your budget, you may prefer one of the other Mac antivirus recommendations in our list below. Some cover more than Macs, you can also use them to protect your iPhone, iPad and other devices. You won’t find every Mac antivirus product we’ve tested here, only the very best contenders, meaning you can be sure that any of these products will do a decent job of protecting your Mac. We’ve also included some free options for those of you looking for the best free antivirus for Mac.

If value is the most important criteria for you, we also recommend looking at our best Mac antivirus deals round-up. And if you’re running Windows and macOS, also check out the advice from our sister site PC World for the best Windows antivirus.

Updated September 2024 with our new review of Norton 360.

Best Mac Antivirus: Reviewed and Ranked






1. Intego Mac Internet Security X9 – Best overall Mac antivirus





















Pros

Built for Mac with useful features and effective overall malware protection

Easy to set up, with reliable antiviral and network scanning tools

Two-way firewall

Includes whitelists for files and customization tools for network profiles


Cons

Missed one file in our malware-removal tests

Safe Browsing does not protect from phishing links in email









Price When Reviewed:

From $24.99 for first year, then $84.99 a year (1 Mac) Using our link




Best Prices Today:


$24.99 at Intego (first year)





AV Comparatives, June 2024: 99% Mac Malware Protection, 93% Mac PUA Protection, 100% Windows Malware Detection.

Covers: macOS

Intego’s Mac Internet Security X9 combines the company’s VirusBarrier and NetBarrier applications to provide both antiviral protection and network traffic filtering programs. 

The program is easy to download, install, and configure, and checks for the latest viral definitions. It then sets up real-time scanning features and intuitive network monitoring, allowing users to see and work with both incoming and outgoing Internet connections on their Mac.

While Mac Security X9 doesn’t offer every feature, it offers impressive configuration and customization to both its VirusBarrier and NetBarrier tools. VirusBarrier performs well in protecting users from viruses, while NetBarrier acts as a firewall that protects connections. The application allows users to create settings for home, work, or public connections, and allows or deny connections as needed.

There are some issues to address, such as a running counter tracking the number of files processed in a VirusBarrier scan and allowing traffic to questionable websites linked to spam messages. 

Despite these issues, Mac Security X9 doesn’t try to upsell users to Intego’s other suites and services, making it worth considering. The tools in place are effective, work well, and make this utility worth considering.

Intego’s Internet Security bundle costs $24.99/£20.00/CA$31.99 for the first year. You can get Intego Mac Internet Security X9 here.

Read our full

Intego Mac Internet Security X9 review






2. Avast Premium Security – Best Mac antivirus for malware protection





















Pros

Doesn’t generally impact performance

Caught all problem test files


Cons

Slow manual scanning

No option for single device license

Upselling









Price When Reviewed:

From $50.28 for first year, then $77.99 a year.




Best Prices Today:


$50.28 at Avast Software (first year)





AV Test, June 2024: 100%

AV Comparatives, June 2024: Approved, 100% Mac Malware Protection, 98% Mac PUA Protection, 100% Windows Malware Detection.

Covers: Mac, PC, iOS and Android

There are four Mac antivirus products from Avast. The paid for Avast Premium Security and Avast One, and the free Avast Free Antivirus and Avast One Essential. Avast Free Antivirus is a free version of Avast Premium Security, while Avast One Essential offers additional features like ransomware protection, privacy protection, and data leak detection. 

Avast Premium Security is a well-featured suite that protects your Mac from various threats, including browser script hacks, ransomware, and remote attack activity. It includes modules such as Virus Scans, Core Shields, Traffic Monitor, Network Inspector, Email Guardian, Ransomware Shield, and Quarantine, all easily accessible from the home screen.

Virus scan options include Smart Scan, Deep Scan, Targeted Scan, or External Storage Scan. The Traffic Monitor shows data usage and bandwidth usage, while Network Inspector scans the network for safety and alerts users when unfamiliar devices join the network. Core Shields prevents fake websites from loading and triggering software.

The main frustration with Avast Premium Security is its subscription-based model, but that tends to be standard these days. Some features are only available on the Avast Ultimate subscription tier.

For those looking to save money can try the two free Antivirus for Mac solutions: Avast’s Free antivirus for Mac was among the best products in a June 2023 test by AV-Comparatives, detecting 100% of Mac malware, 99 percent of potentially unwanted applications, and 100% of Windows viruses. Avast also performed well in AV-Test’s investigations in March 2024, scoring full marks for protection, performance, and usability.

You can get Avast Premium Security for Mac here. Also consider Avast One, Avast Free Antivirus and Avast One Essential.

Read our full Avast Free Antivirus and Avast One Essential for Mac review

Read our full

Avast Premium Security review






3. AVG Antivirus Free for Mac – Best free Mac antivirus





















Pros

Capable basic protection for a free product

Quick and easy installation

Clean and helpful dashboard


Cons

Occasional prompts to convince you to upgrade to the paid version

Lacks the ransomware, phishing, and fake website protection built into the paid product









Price When Reviewed:

Free download




Best Prices Today:


Free at AVG





AV Test, June 2024: 100%

AV Comparatives, AV Comparatives, June 2024: 100% Mac Malware Protection, 98% Mac PUA Protection, 100% Windows Malware Detection.

Covers: macOS

AVG Antivirus for the Mac is one of a handful of free antivirus for Mac programs. As such it is basic, but it’s effective at protecting you from viruses, spyware, and malware.

Despite being free, AVG covers all the bases: blocking viruses and malware from websites, downloads, and email attachments. AVG will scan applications and check every file and remove threats from your Mac. It auto updates so you shouldn’t miss out on protection from the latest threats.

In the AV-Test for March 2024, AVG was certified and was considered Outstanding for protection, performance and usability. AV-Comparatives June 2023 tests saw AVG Antivirus Free for Mac score 100% for Mac Malware Protection, 99% for Mac PUA Protection, and 100% for detecting Windows malware, which is better results than some paid-for options.

Though it lacks the advanced features of paid antivirus products, it handles the core tasks cleanly and seamlessly. However, if you need to resolve any advanced issues you will need to pay to upgrade to the full version of the software, which is about $2/£2 per month for a one-year subscription. There is a 60-day free trial though, which could be enough for your purposes.

All in all, this is a great option, despite being basic. You get much more than you ‘pay’ for.

You can get AVG Antivirus for the Mac here.

Read our full

AVG AntiVirus for Mac review






4. McAfee Total Protection





















Pros

Good, customizable set of security tools for multiple devices

Background scanning feature comes in handy


Cons

Program feels laggy when initially launched

McAfee demands credit/debit card info to use trial









Price When Reviewed:

From $39.99 for first year, then $119.99 a year (5 devices)




Best Prices Today:


$39.99 at McAfee Total Protection (first year)





Covers: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, ChromeOS

McAfee Total Protection continues to be steadily updated and offers a good suite of anti-viral, anti-malware, identity protection, VPN, and scheduling tools. Prices start at $39.99/£34.99/CA$44.99 for the first year.

It is simple to use; once you’ve walked through the guided steps for giving it permission to work behind the scenes it is essentially something you can just leave to get on with its job.

The software can perform a full scan of your hard drive as well as scan custom locations such as external volumes, and schedule scan times. You can control what Total Protection does when it finds suspect files, such as notifying you, quarantining them, or deleting the files. During our tests, it located and quarantined two suspected virus files I didn’t know about, thereby earning its keep.

Other features include an ID Protection tool that compares your email address to known data and password breaches, a firewall, and a Secure VPN feature that lets you quickly set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

McAfee’s Total Protection package extends up to five devices on one account, so it’s easy to add the app to other Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Android-based phones and tablets as needed. It’s worth noting that the Windows version offers features that you don’t get in the Mac app.

We noted some occasional performance impacts as it ran in the background, but it was largely unobtrusive in its efforts. Our only other grumble is the lack of simplicity if ending the trial.

You can get McAfee Total Protection here.

Read our full

McAfee Total Protection review






5. Norton 360 – Best value Mac antivirus





















Pros

Easy-to-use & effective

Multiple device cover

Minimal performance impact


Cons

No backup on macOS

Didn’t spot threats in zip files









Price When Reviewed:

From $49.99 for first year, then $119.99 a year (Norton 360 Deluxe with LifeLock: 5 devices)




Best Prices Today:


$49.99 at Norton Security (first year)





AV Test, June 2024: 100%

Covers: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Norton 360 provides protection in Mac OS X 10.10 or later, with a reduced price for the first year. The Standard package protects one device. For more devices (including Macs, iPhones or PCs), the Deluxe or Select package are required. Note that all prices increase significantly after the first year. 

The software offers 110GB of cloud-based backup, a password manager, a basic VPN client, and Dark Web monitoring.

Norton 360 is easy to download and install, and its add-on programs work fairly well. The VPN is basic but easy to configure your preferred country of origin and initiate a connection. The password manager is reliable and includes a downloadable recovery key. There is an admirable level of possible customization on the firewall, although technical knowledge is needed.

Other utilities within Norton 360 for Mac include a Startup Manager module, File Cleanup module, and Dark Web protection module. With antiviral monitoring and scanning it’s easy to create white lists and exceptions as well as schedule scans, including of external volumes like USB thumb drives. However, the application still can’t perform scans on.zip files, I had to decompress the text drive of sample infections before it could see them. 

In our tests, the software was successful in catching a good amount of viral activity, with 25 individual infections detected on a test drive after scanning it. However, Norton 360 for Mac missed the OSX.Proton malware.

Extensions for web browsers and Norton Private Browser are included. These warn about spam and phishing-based websites, but still allowed us to travel to questionable websites from spam email links. 

However, there are still bugs to sort out, such as a bug in the Cloud Backup were we were unable to successfully click the “Get Started with Backup” button and create an initial backup set for the cloud. It also failed to remove OSX.Proton malware.

You can get Norton 360 here.

Read our full

Norton 360 review






6. Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac





















Pros

High malware detection rate

Monitors for ransomware-style attacks from unknown software in specific folders


Cons

Wouldn’t detect some malware in real-time in our tests

Fewer extra features compared to less-expensive or similarly priced higher-rank competitors









Price When Reviewed:

$29.95 for first year, then $39.95 a year (1 Mac)




Best Prices Today:


$29.95 at Trend Micro (first year)





AV Test, March 2024: 100%

Covers: macOS

Trend Micro Antivirus is a good program with well-rated antivirus protection and a simple, straightforward interface that users will appreciate.

Anyone looking for additional features will be disappointed with this suite, but it offers good protection at a fair price.

In March 2024 AV-Test gave Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac full marks for protection, performance and usability. In their tests AV-Comparatives gave Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac 100% for Mac malware protection, 99% for PUA protection and 100% for Windows malware detection.

Our own spot checks produced similarly good results. Lining up against the Objective See malware library Trend Micro had no trouble detecting most threats. However, in a few cases, it didn’t detect all the malware contained in a folder until a scan had been run.

Trend Micro is an excellent choice for those looking for something that’s simple and easy to use. There are options with better protection, but Trend Micro’s protection is still good and pricing is fair starting at $29.95/£19.94/CA$29.95 for one Mac for the first year (then $39.95/£49.95/$39.95 a year).

Read our full

Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac review






7. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac





















Pros

Doesn’t slow down your Mac

Effective real-time protection

Unobtrusive browsing protection


Cons

No password manager

Very limited VPN

No identity protection









Price When Reviewed:

From $34.99 per year




Best Prices Today:


Free at Bitdefender (first year)





AV Test, June 2024: 100%

AV Comparatives, AV Comparatives, June 2024: 100% Mac Malware Protection, 99% Mac PUA Protection, 100% Windows Malware Detection.

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac covers: macOS, Bitdefender Total Security covers: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Bitdefender is another maker of antivirus solutions that has a number of solutions for the Mac, including a free option. There’s Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac, which offers basic protection for up to three Macs, Bitdefender Total Security, which protects up to five devices (macOS, iOS, Windows and Android), and Bitdefender’s free Virus Scanner for Mac.

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is easy to download, install, and assign full drive permissions. It offers a speedy Quick Scan mode that performs a quick overview and locate, quarantine, and remove viral candidates within a few minutes as well as a Full Scan mode which runs in the background so you can continue to work. External volumes such as USB flash drives can be scanned. 

There isn’t much in the way of malware that gets by it. However, we found the application’s ability to locate and neutralize malware that was already on the system mixed – it missed four significant pieces of malware. 

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac offers anti-phishing protection in the form of web browser extensions for the Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox web browsers. These offered varying degrees of success. Under Safari, Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac offered no prominent phishing protection, allowing us to visit questionable websites with no warning whatsoever.

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac offers an anti-tracker for web browsers and access to a VPN with basic functionality and a limit of 200MB a day. It encourages you to update to the full version, there are better VPNs for Mac out there. https://www.macworld.com/article/231047/best-vpn-for-mac.html

When we reviewed it Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac retailed at “50% off” which is $19.99/£14.99 a year for one Mac (then $39.99/£29.99 a year), but the deal prices change often. There is also a 30-day trial available. 

There is also Bitdefender Total Security which includes Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac as well as coverage for iOS, Android and Windows. That software retails for $69.99/£44.99 a year for five devices (then $109.99/£74.99 a year) and offers a license that covers five devices, including Macs, Windows, Android and iOS with a 30-day trial available.

Read our full

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac review






8. Avira Prime





















Pros

Easy to use

Full VPN

Won’t slow down your Mac


Cons

No fine-tuning scan options









Price When Reviewed:

From $59.99 for first year, then $104.99 a year.




Best Prices Today:


$59.99 at Avira – Prime (first year)





AV Test, June 2024: 98.3%

Covers: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Like Avast, Avira makes a paid-for and a free version of its antivirus solution. Avira Prime is a security utility designed to keep your Mac safe from potentially unwanted programs; which covers everything from simple scripts designed to compromise and redirect your browser searches through to actual malware. Prices start at $59.99/£51.99/CA$67 for 5 devices for the first year, then $104.99/£90.99/CA$118 a year.

While